RTFM

or rtfm

abbreviation for

, Slang.

1. read the fucking manual (a euphemistic acronym used sarcastically in response to, or in reference to, someone asking for technical help):

   He won’t RTFM and then complains that he can’t get through to tech support.

Word History and Origins

Origin of RTFM¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

The awards included a medicine prize for urologists in Michigan who showed that kidney stones could be passed more swiftly by riding on a rollercoaster at a Disney theme park; a nutrition prize for work that revealed the unimpressive nutritional value of a cannibalistic diet; and a literature prize for a study titled “Life is too short to RTFM” that demonstrated how people despair of instruction manuals.

From The Guardian

"RTFM" is an acronym for "read the field manual", though, according to the researchers, it has gained a new meaning by consumers who are often frustrated by the complexity of operation of their product.

From BBC

Or as we might put it, RTFM* before trying to sue Apple.

From Forbes

This is, perhaps, why politicians get away with promises while bureaucrats juggle explanatory statistics. lawrence e stirtz Aug 12th 2013 19:56 GMT Dr.RTFM Aug 12th 2013 18:36 GMT When the 1% steal all of the gains, the 99% have little motivation to help improve productivity.

From Economist

Johan Sterk in reply to Dr.RTFM Aug 13th 2013 2:17 GMT If the rich could hire other people to die for them, the poor could have a good living!

From Economist